The name ella | Imamother

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Forum -> Pregnancy & Childbirth -> Baby Names

The name ella

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amother

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 8:55 am

What is the source? It means tree??

simcha2

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 8:56 am

I think it only means tree if it is short for Elana.

SG18

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 8:57 am

There isn't a source for it... It's a Spanish suffix meaning female. And a version of the name of the Greek goddess Hella.

amother

Lime

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:01 am

Oooh. My name! Don’t know what it means. I’m named after a grandmother.

Miri1

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:03 am

Ela is a type of tree, I think the terebinth.

amother

Hawthorn

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:04 am

There is
עלא which is yiddish
And
אלא which is Aramaic

zaq

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:04 am

Best avoided as a Hebrew name as it means “goddess.” It also means a terebinth tree, but unless they’re Israeli and knowledgeable about trees, people are unlikely to know this.

Terebinths were worshipped as deities and/or used as sites for idolatrous rites in ancient Canaan.

SYA

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:13 am

Some use it as a nickname for Elka

amother

Maize

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:15 am

Not so funny story about Ella:

I have a cousin who named her daughter Ella because she liked the name. When our grandmother heard what the baby's name was she had a very negative reaction. It took a little time for her to explain why, but it turns out that there was a kapo in Auschwitz named Ella who made our grandmother's life miserable and she had a visceral reaction to the name. My cousin had no idea and was beside herself but she had already named her child and didn't want to change her name. Eventually our grandmother got used to the name and was able to distinguish between adorable great-granddaughter Ella and kapo Ella.

gold21

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:17 am

I know a little Ariella called Ella

amother

Moonstone

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:21 am

I know a couple of Bobov girls named Ella. They're related so probably a family name?

amother

DarkRed

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:26 am

I know an Ella short for Elisheva

Tof Umachol

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:28 am

First of all, I think Ella is a very beautiful sounding name.

In Hebrew, Ella is the name of a tree.
It appears in Tanach several times.
For example, Hashem appears to Gidon under the Ella tree (see Shoftim 6, 11).
Shaul is buried under an Ella tree (see Divrei HaYamim Aleph, 10, 12).

chagil

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:34 am

Tof Umachol wrote:

SUPER helpful. Why name your child a tree though?

amother

Freesia

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:38 am

chagil wrote:

SUPER helpful. Why name your child a tree though?

Why name your child a bird or a bear or a wolf? IDK. But we do it.

Tof Umachol

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:50 am

chagil wrote:

SUPER helpful. Why name your child a tree though?

Already in Tanach many people are named after elements of nature such as trees, plants, animals, etc.

For example, Tamar (date), and Esther, whose Hebrew name was Hadassah (myrtle - like the Hadassim on Sukkot). Rachel, Leah and Yael are all named for animals. Also Yonah, which means dove.
Iyov's second daughter was named Ketziah, which is a good-smelling plant or herb.

amother

Butterscotch

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:55 am

Long story short. - we spoke to our rav about giving Ella as English name on birth certificate and he advised against that specific name.
He is someone who is “pro” giving English names - just not that one.
But I didn’t ask him why.

amother

Hawthorn

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 9:57 am

amother [ Butterscotch ] wrote:

But I'm sure he would not have felt that way if the actual name was the yiddish עלא

amother

Grape

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 10:01 am

I grew up in Chicago and I was taught by Rebbitzen Ella Soleveitchik.

BH Yom Yom

Tue, Oct 19 2021, 10:02 am

Tof Umachol wrote:

What animal is Leah?

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